A charming desert oasis that has been a stop on the caravan trail since time immemorial. Today, Al Ain has become a garden city and also boasts a university. The road from Dubai takes us through spectacular desert scenery. We stop at the archaeological digs at Hili which date back some 5,000 years. We proceed to Al Ain Museum next to the old fortress and take a short walk through an oasis with its ancient falaj irrigation system. From here we will continue to the traditional camel market.
After lunch* we stop at the Al Ain Palace Museum. The palace was the residence of the late ruler Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan from 1927 until the early 70’s. Interesting displays, including a collection of family portraits, offer an insight into the way the Royal family lived and entertained. We then stop at the Jahili Fort before returning to Dubai. Al Jahili Fort is one of the largest in the country, built in the late 19th century as a symbol of power and a royal summer residence. The parts of the building dating from this original phase consist of a square fortified enclosure and the distinctive four-storey circular tower. When British forces came to Al Ain in the early 1950’s to assist in the administration of the area, these buildings, which had fallen into disrepair, were incorporated into a larger enclosure forming their head quarters.